


some things never leave you

by CplCrimp



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Power Swap, Breaking the Warrior Code (Warriors), F/M, Power Swap, ShadowClan Jayfeather, Warrior Jayfeather
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25987381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CplCrimp/pseuds/CplCrimp
Summary: Jaypaw meets Poppypaw, and things are all downhill from there.
Relationships: Jayfeather/Poppyfrost (Warriors)
Kudos: 19





	some things never leave you

_ i’ll never forget, _

_ the first time i saw you, _

_ you took my breath _

**_away…_ **

“Tall.”

“Shadow!”

_ “Tall.” _

“Shadow.”

_ “Tall….” _

Whitewater’s voice faded until it was hardly above the whisper of a breeze. Jaypaw kept his ears pricked and kept scanning the clearing for any sign of the molly. When he could hear nothing, the small tabby tom slowly slinked along the she-cat’s spoor. He tried to keep in the hunting crouch that Whitewater had taught him only moments before. As he padded through the marshy ground, with Whitewater’s scent steadily disappearing, though, Jaypaw couldn’t help but wonder…

_ Has Whitewater left me in the forest on purpose? _

A drop of anxiety and fury dripped down Jaypaw’s spine. He let his senses slip away until he could see and smell the entirety of ShadowClan territory. He searched all around. The heavy scent of pine from the Forevergreen, the Cow Fields in the northernmost water-meadow, the Lone Oak in the shrub-swap and, finally, along the mangrove border shared with ShadowClan.

On the base of a tree, Jaypaw could scent a  _ strong  _ feminine, pine-like, cold scent.

“Aha!” he gasped aloud. He didn’t know that the Driest Clearing was so close to the RiverClan border. Now certain of where he was heading, Jaypaw straightened up and dashed toward the border. He slowed as the ground underfoot turned even wetter and grittier than it was in the rest of ShadowClan’s territory. From here, he could scent Whitewater without even trying.

“Tall!” called Whitewater. Jaypaw was blasted with excitement like a strong wind.

“Shadow!!” he exclaimed, unable to stop himself from being just as excited. He heard Whitewater grunt, and then with a soft sort-of flop, heard her breathing.

“Excellent job, Jaypaw,” she complimented. Jaypaw smiled, proud that he had completed the task.

Then, his ear twitched, and his smile fell. An odd grunt sounded faintly behind him.

“Did you hear that?” he asked. Whitewater was confused. Then, the grunting grew louder. The sound nearly knocked Jaypaw off his feet.

_ “WATCH OUT!”  _ Whitewater exclaimed. She forcefully shoved Jaypaw away, and let out a caterwaul so loud Jaypaw was sure RiverClan could hear it. A stench met Jaypaw’s nostrils.  _ The boar!  _ The boar that had attacked Jaypaw before he earned his apprentice name was back. “Run, Jaypaw!” Whitewater yelled, yowling once more.

Jaypaw heard the swishing of her claws and the squishing of flesh. He didn’t need to be told twice. He bolted into the forest, unsure of where he was going. Quickly, Jaypaw realized that he wasn’t sure where ShadowClan’s camp  _ was,  _ nor any of its landmarks. More panicked now, Jaypaw agreed with himself to run until he crashed into something, and then scream his lungs out. After all, that was the best plan he had.

The tabby tom felt as if he had run for several minutes, and was growing exhausted. He opened his mouth, trying to gather in more air…

He crashed head-first into a very sharp sort of shrub. Jaypaw spat out the thorns that he had gotten into his mouth, and tried to back out. If he could get his shoulders from the bush, he could be free. Jaypaw tried for several seconds, anger rising quickly, fueled by the anxiety that Whitewater could be hurt-  _ or worse! _

Jaypaw raised his voice as loudly as he could. He had to flatten his ears and swallow after. He hadn’t screamed that loudly since he was born! He shook his shoulders to jostle the bush, and screamed once more.

“Sweet StarClan, what is that  _ dreadful  _ sound?” came a gruff-sounding voice shortly after. Jaypaw felt relief wash over him. He rustled the bush violently and meowed, over and over, until he could  _ hardly  _ make out a scent. It was saplike and begging to lull Jaypaw into sleep.

_...saplike?  _ Oh, no.

“I think there’s a cat stuck in this bush!” came another voice. This cat’s voice was much sweeter and softer than the first cat, and despite its lullabye-like qualities, seemed full of energy.

“Well, let’s not simply stand here,” said the first cat. “Let’s help the poor blewit out.”

_ Blewit!  _ Jaypaw thought bitterly. He didn’t know what a blewit  _ was,  _ but he was  _ certain  _ it was a sort of ThunderClan insult!

The second cat’s sleepy scent faded, but Jaypaw could hear her circle him. Then, he felt a very sudden, and very strong, tug on his tail. The next yowl he let out was from pain, though the thorns on his back  _ had  _ moved to the bottom of his shoulder blades.

“Watch it!” he snapped.

“The blewit can speak!” exclaimed the gruff-voiced cat.

“Of course I can!” Jaypaw nearly exploded. “Just get me out of here!”

Jaypaw heard a grunt and, once more, was tugged violently from behind.

“Not with  _ that  _ attitude,” said the gruff tom. “We’ve loosened you enough, and Blackstar will surely have our pelts when he scents us on this side of the border.”

Looser now, Jaypaw could smell a fainter copy of the thorn bush he was trapped in. Angry, he rustled and kicked and starless-near dislocated a shoulder pulling himself, trying to escape the dreaded thorn bush.

“No need to get all upset,” said the sleepy-voiced cat. Jaypaw froze.  _ She stayed!  _ She didn’t speak for a long time. Then, Jaypaw could feel a very soft belly fur brush against his behind. “Oh, boy….” she whispered. Warmth hit the back of Jaypaw’s ears. Realizing that this molly must have lifted the thorns for him, Jaypaw reeled back. He tumbled into the damp ground behind him, eventually landing on his stomach with a huff.

The sleepy, sweet scent of this molly rolled over him and nearly bolled him off his shaking feet. “Th-thank you,” he panted. Then he perked up, remembering Whitewater. “Wait! Before you leave! My mentors in trouble and I-I lost my way to ShadowClan’s camp. Please, will you help me?”

The sleepy molly laughed a bit. “I figured you were a new apprentice. Yes, of course I’ll help you! Oh, Thornclaw will have my pelt for sure…”

🌲🌩️🌲🌩️

_ i’ll never forget, _

_ our first dance together _

_ you seemed to float _

**_on air..._ **

Jaypaw only ever got into trouble at Gatherings, he really didn’t know why Blackstar even bothered bringing him. Both Blackstar and Russetfur probably considered him a burden, anyhow. They could very easily leave him on the Island and let him starve. So what if it was only his second Gathering? The first time he had managed to get kidnapped by RiverClan, and  _ this time  _ he had gotten lost on the single star-cursed Island!

“Are you in trouble again, thorn-bush cat?”

Jaypaw whirled around as a familiar sleeplike voice and scent drifted toward him. It had been one moon since Jaypaw had gotten caught in the thorn bush on the Thunder-Shadow border. He felt a strong bolt of confusion rise within him- the sleepy cat  _ remembered  _ him? And wanted to help him…  _ again? _

_ Maybe ThunderClan warriors aren’t as inflated as I thought. _

“Hi there,” Jaypaw said. “I seem to’ve… um… gotten lost.”

The sleepy cat laughed breezily. Jaypaw’s heart skipped a beat at the sound. “Is this your first Gathering?” she asked kindly, her voice nearing.

Jaypaw shook his head. “No. But my first time I was… I kept close to a, uh, friend.”

“I see,” said the molly. “There  _ are  _ quite a few cats here. I believe Firestar invited most of our clan,” she stated.

Jaypaw couldn’t tell the difference. The otherclan scents were always terribly strong at Gatherings, he would be remiss to count them. ...he had to admit though, the sleepy molly had never made fun of him, and that was already a step up from the other apprentices. Jaypaw laid down as his mind raced. He’d  _ much  _ rather talk to this molly than Ivypaw, Owlpaw or his siblings!

“Like who?” he asked.

The grass crunched beneath him as the sleepy molly laid down as well. “Well, Squirrelflight and Firestar are here of course. My siblings, Honeypaw, Molepaw and Cinderpaw are all here, too. And so are Longtail and Brightheart, I think. Larchleaf got pretty bitter back at home when Hollybranch and Birchfall were invited but he wasn’t,” the sleepy molly finished with a snort. “Lots of cats. I don’t know.”

None of these names meant anything to Jaypaw, none except Brightheart, which was the only name he could recognize. However, heavy winds of happiness blew off the sleepy molly. Suddenly, he was struck with a sudden pang of realization.

“I never told you my name!” she stated. She laughed a few seconds before clearing her throat. Though, she still giggled a bit. “I’m Poppypaw.”

“I’m Jaypaw,” the tom replied.

“Jaypaw!” Poppypaw chirped. “That’s a really nice name. It suits you. You look just like a jay.”

Jaypaw awkwardly smiled, unsure how to explain that he didn’t know what jays looked like- or himself, for that matter. Instead, he didn’t. “I think Poppypaw suits you, too. You smell like… a nice nap,” he stated. As soon as he heard the words back he realized how little sense that made.

Poppypaw took it in stride, though. She let out a boisterous laugh. “You don’t hear  _ that  _ everyday!” she exclaimed. “I’m surprised you can smell me, honestly,” she added. That soothed Jaypaw’s nerves that he had said something wrong. “I can hardly smell my own scent, not unless I put my nose right up to myself.”

Just a few moments after that, Jaypaw heard a comically loud sniff. Poppypaw laughed and Jaypaw was once again stuck with happiness. “I guess I  _ do  _ smell kinda like a nap, huh! I’d think more poppy flowers and milk.”

“Which is a nap, if you’re young enough,” Jaypaw stated.

Poppypaw didn’t laugh. Instead, Jaypaw could feel a slight confusion. Then, the happiness returned.

“...you’re right!”

Jaypaw smiled. “I am!”

Neither spoke again for a few moments, but Jaypaw didn’t mind. He felt an odd, comfortable warmth around the molly, despite only knowing her for a short while. The grass crunched, and Jaypaw figured that Poppypaw had stood. 

“I think the leaders will be announcing news, soon. We could get you back with the other apprentices,” she said.

Jaypaw stood as well. “I hope we can.”

“I think so,” Poppypaw stated, determined. “Does your clan have other apprentices?”

“We do.”

“What do they look like?”

Jaypaw felt a spike of anxiety strike through his heart. He stammered. He had… no clue. He coughed, “U-ummm… their names are Tigerpaw, Dawnpaw and Flamepaw.”

Poppypaw felt confused. “Well… names don’t really have colors, but, I guess that helps.” Then, she laughed a bit. “I’ve heard that ShadowClan was dark-  _ obviously,  _ it’s in the name- but I didn’t know it was so dark you couldn’t see eachother!”

Jaypaw laughed along, but he was sure his clanmates could see both him and his kin perfectly well in ShadowClan. The problem was,  _ he  _ couldn’t. But Poppypaw didn’t need to know that. Jaypaw kept his nose close to Poppypaw’s shoulders, wishing that Whitewater, Rowanclaw or Tawnypelt were here. He didn’t know what those colors looked like either, but he knew those  _ were  _ colors.

The two cats padded around, weaving around other cats who apparently didn’t resemble tigers, dawn or flames. Jaypaw pressed hard to Poppypaw, trying not to lose her. He wasn’t sure if she noticed, for she never commented.

“Are those your clanmates?” she asked.

Jaypaw furrowed his brows.  _ I hate being blind.  _ “I, um,” he answered, swallowing back his anger. “I’m not sure.”

Poppypaw hummed. “Well, let’s find out!” She lurched forward. 

Jaypaw leaped to catch up. She stopped more suddenly that Jaypaw was expecting. He stumbled, trying to play it off as if he had done it on purpose. Jaypaw sniffed. In front of him he could smell a strong scent of fish, as well as three different fainter, individual scents- a prideful, sweaty one, a leafy one, and one like riparian dirt.  _ These are Lionpaw and  _ **_his_ ** _ siblings,  _ he thought. “These aren’t the right cats,” he stated to Poppypaw. Jaypaw heard Lionpaw’s neck fur swish as he turned around to face the two of them.

“They look older, though,” Poppypaw stated. “Maybe  _ they  _ know what your clanmates look like.” 

Jaypaw heard the grass crunch as Lionpaw signed to the both of them. “...hi, Lionpaw,” he said.  _ Just  _ the cat he wanted to see…

“Jaypaw! What’re you doing back here, you old stone loach?” asked Pouncepaw. “Lost again?”

Jaypaw flattened his ears, grumbling.

“Yes!” chirped Poppypaw. “We’re looking for his clanmates. Their names are Tigerpaw, Dawnpaw and Flamepaw, but Jay here doesn’t know what they look like. You seem to know him- do you have any clues?”

Jaypaw wasn’t sure if he should feel flustered or upset that Poppypaw had dropped his suffix. He didn’t have time to think it over, though, because Dapplepaw replied so quickly. “Flamepaw’s a medicine cat, so he could be near the Great Oak sometime around now.”

“You better get up there too, bro!” exclaimed Pouncepaw.

Jaypaw heard Lionpaw nod.

“Perfect!” Poppypaw replied. “Well, there you go then, Jay!”

“It’s Jay _ paw,”  _ he answered. 

Poppypaw chuckled. “Fine, Jay _ strict.  _ I hope that’s the right Flamepaw!”

Lionpaw circled his tail around Jaypaw’s neck. He felt a little disappointed that Poppypaw wasn’t coming with him, but he didn’t want to seem picky in front of her and the rivercats. 

“...thanks, Poppypaw,” he commented.

“If you keep getting into trouble, you’ll have to move to ThunderClan!” she quipped just before Jaypaw got out of earshot. “See you later, Jay!”

🌲🌩️🌲🌩️

_ i’ll never forget, _

_ when you said that _

**_you loved me._ **

_ those kind of memories _

**_stay._ **

Jaypaw sat waiting on the Shadow-Thunder border.

One of ShadowClan’s biggest values was family. However, Jaypaw knew that his clan only cared for families that were contained within the Warrior Code. Blackstar would skin him alive if he ever found out about his meetings with Poppypaw.

In fact, the only cat he trusted to tell was his mother, Tawnypelt. Even then, she didn’t  _ truly  _ know. Tawnypelt knew what it was like to have your heart rest in another clan. Of course, she assumed that Jaypaw meant that his heart was  _ his.  _ Not that his heart was Poppypaw’s.

His siblings knew of these midnight meetings with  _ some cat,  _ though Tigerpaw and Dawnpaw both had different guesses that would frequently changed. No, none of them would ever guess a thundercat.

The bushes on the opposite border rustled.

“Poppypaw?” Jaypaw called out.

“Chip-cherry!” Poppypaw called.

Jaypaw’s tail beat the ground as he stood up.

“Here,” Poppypaw said. “Dip your head, I brought you a gift.”

Jaypaw did. Poppypaw’s tongue rasped behind his ear, and then her clawtips gently tapped and pulled around. “There!” she exclaimed, backing up. “How do you like  _ that?  _ A heath-orchid braid! In your  _ ear fur!  _ Watershine in RiverClan taught me to do that.”

Jaypaw nodded. Along with the braid, he felt a slightly heavier force. He flicked his ear as a slight tickle touched the sensitive skin. “What did you put in there?”

“A puffy dandelion,” Poppypaw replied, happily. “I just thought it was pretty. Kinda like you, Jay.”

Jaypaw flushed. “Th-thank you. I’m sure it’s beautiful. Much like you, I’m sure, Poppypaw.” He froze a moment. “Wait, or is it Poppy _ warrior  _ now? You’ve certainly seen all four seasons!”

Poppypaw sighed. “Oh, I’ve failed my assessment a leadersworth of times by now.”

Jaypaw frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Poppypaw smiled. “It’s fine, I don’t mind at all. I’m hoping I can welcome Ice and Foxkit into the den. We’ll see if that turns out.”

“How much longer do they have?” Jaypaw asked.

“A season,” Poppypaw laughed. 

Jaypaw was shocked. “You’ll be an elder before you earn your name!”

“Maybe!” Poppypaw plopped onto the ground, shuffling until she was comfy. Jaypaw lay down beside her, hardly moving once he fell. “My brother and one my sisters became warriors, though. Their names are Molehill and Honeyfern, now. I think Molehill wants to reapprentice as a meddie, though. Maybe Flamepaw can meet him.”

Jaypaw nodded. “I think Dawnpaw will become a warrior soon. Us ShadowClan apprentices are usually left to our own most of the time, but Crowfrost has  _ really  _ been leaving her alone.”

“Well, I’m very proud of her! Hopefully you won’t be far behind,” Poppypaw replied. The dirt crunched as she turned her head, and Jaypaw could feel her comforting breath against his muzzle. He smiled, suddenly gaining an idea.

“What if I become a warrior before you?”

Poppypaw was silent a moment. “...you know? I think you could be. I wonder what Blackstar would name you. I certainly can’t think of anything that emcompasses your  _ hubris.” _

Jaypaw snorted, only half-angry. “Alright, Poppy _ blunt.” _

“Jaysass!”

“Poppymean!”

“Jayrude!”

“Poppy… uh…”

_ “Jaysneer!!” _

Jaypaw shook his head and placed his muzzle under Poppypaw’s. “Fine, you win.”


End file.
